Tag: Keypads

Which Usb?

Wilson Blaney asked:

Many of us older computer users remember the days when the only thing connected to a printer was the keyboard and a printer. In fact, those of us who are REAL old remember the days when the keyboard was part of the computer, as was the printer itself. More like a Telex machine than a modern-day computer, we typed on box-like keypads and it was printed out in dot-matrix.

At that time (well before USB or Firewire), we connected peripherals such as an external drive, a mouse, or a CD player by using an intricate procedure which involved turning everything off, connecting it, and turning it on again. And then we prayed.

In 1996, much of that changed for computer folks. Universal Serial Bus (USB) was developed to enable the ability to “plug and play”. This was a huge breakthrough in computers. By utilizing USB technology and internal USB drivers, users were able to switch devices simply by plugging them in. No more powering down, booting up, and waiting and hoping were involved.

For the next seven years, USB technology was phased in through the computer industry, with Apple adopting it fully in 1998. Once USB became standard, USB hubs began being produced. These USB hubs allowed users to connect more than one USB device (printer, mouse, keyboard, iPod, external drive, etc.) to a computer at a time, using only one USB driver and hub.

Early USB drivers were based on 1.0 technology, which now looks archaic. USB 2.0 technology was released in 2000 and added more functionality and a lot more speed. All computers produced today have a minimum of USB 2.0 drivers installed. In 2007, USB 3.0 was developed and is currently being integrated in computers.

Apple computers developed their own version of a faster USB technology, called “Firewire”. Firewire is considered to be faster, more reliable, and requires less computing power to function. Firewire 800 (or USB 800 as it is also known) is significantly faster than any USB and is particularly useful when used in conjunction with external hard drives and MP3 players.

USB 800 is also known for its power when moving large files between devices – movies, songs, photos. Anytime you download a movie or a collection of music to your Ipod, USB 800 is the best way to do it. The transaction will be faster and less likely to become corrupt.

Today there are a number of USB 800 manufacturers that provide drivers and input and output devices for computers. But remember, having USB 800 in your computer is not enough, you must have the cable to support it. By using a USB 1.0 or 2.0 cable, or even a cable equipped for USB 400, you are downgrading the power of your computer.

The purchase of USB 800 cables to support the speed of your computer is vital to take full advantage of its power. When purchasing cables, make sure the packaging states that it is USB 800 compatible, or you will miss out on the power your computer has.

USB 1000 is believed to be the next step in connectivity power. By ramping up the speed and performance of the traditional USB connectivity, computer makers are making it easier for you to run multiple peripherals off of one USB driver while maintaining excellent performance and reliability. USB 1000 is not industry standard at this time, but it is believed in years to come it will put the current USB speeds to shame.

Wireless Internet Access Through Mobile Internet Service

tatar job asked:

Mobile Internet:

Mobile Internet is about connecting to the Internet with mobile devices like cellphones, PDAs, game consoles, laptops and other portables. Which means that you get to stay connected wherever you are and even on the move; you don’t have to be near a Wi-Fi spot to be able to access the Internet.

This has come about as a boon for everyone from backpackers and businessmen to commuters and curmudgeons. If you want to blog about your travels, you don’t have to clamber down the steep hill you’ve just hiked up, you can simply write your blog using your mobile phone. If you want to conduct a business transaction or check the stock market, you can do it on your cellphone, your PDA or your laptop. You can also make plane, train, car or hotel reservations, or search for directions on interactive maps if you happen to lose your way. You can email or chat with your family and friends on the go. You can stop grumbling about being ‘stuck’ in the office or the classroom or your home and go do your work in your favorite coffeehouse or park. So in a sense, Mobile Internet can lighten up your life, if you will let it, that is and don’t ponder too much about the dark aspects of staying perpetually connected.

Accessing the Internet over the cellphone or a PDA is not going to be the same experience as surfing the net on your regular computer. Some of the drawbacks of Mobile Internet are as follows –

The screen display sizes of cellphones and PDAs are very small and it can be problematic viewing text and graphics meant for standard computer screens. In this regard, PDAs are a better bet than cellphones, and laptops, of course, don’t face this issue.

You can’t view regular web pages in the format they are meant to be viewed.

You can view only one window at a time on cellphones and PDAs and scroll just up and down.

You may find it troublesome or impossible to view PDFs, Flash sites and video sites.

Typing out large entries using small keypads is an inconvenient process. Getting keyboards that fold open may be helpful here. But then again there may be a character limit on the messages you can send.

The Mobile Internet connection may be very slow.

Mobile Internet Service:

The standards for mobile Internet service are –

WAP: WAP is short for Wireless Access Protocol. WAP enables Internet access through your mobile devices and makes it possible to use interactive data applications on them. So its a breeze to check cricket scores, browse the news, download music and see what’s happening on the stock market.

I-Mod: i-Mod is a wireless data protocol system from Japan that is slowly and steadily becoming a good competition for WAP.

Mobile Service Providers provide access over the following wireless networks –

GSM: GSM is an acronym for Global System for Mobile communication. GSM technology compresses information and transfers it through a single channel. Users of GSM can use the mobile data service GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) for WAP access, SMS, MMS, email and surfing.

CDMA: CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access. With CDMA technology, information is transferred through different channels not just one like with GSM.

EDGE: EDGE stands for Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution. It is also known as Enhanced GPRS or EGPRS. EDGE has better data transmission rates than GPRS and the data transmission reliability is higher too. This is a better choice for multimedia applications.

Mobile Internet Access:

The usability and interoperability issues with Mobile Internet are likely to get ironed out over the next few years and perhaps all devices, whether fixed or mobile, will operate on wireless IP technologies. This might play a big role in narrowing the digital divide. Cellphones, after all, are much less expensive than PCs – or, for that matter, than PDAs and laptops – and nowadays have become a must-have accessory with a growing percentage of the world’s population. Getting connected to the Internet can be the key to more and better educational and business opportunities, aside from the just better social interaction factor.